Mechanically-operated musical instrument.



No. 851.185. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. J. W. STEVENSON & S. L. DICKINSON. MEOHANIOALLY OPERATED. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. 1906.

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INVENIORS ATTORNEY. 3

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UNITED STATES ENT OFFICE.

JOHN VV. STEVENSON,OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND SAMUEL L. DICKINSON, OF

CRANFORD, NEW JERSEY.

MECHANlCALLY-OPERATED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed November 22, 1906. Serial No. 344,595.

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN W. STEVEN- SON, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, and SAMUEL L. DICKINSON, residing at Cranford, in the county of Union andState of New Jersey, both citizens of the United States,

' have invented a certain new and useful Imcrating the instrument and for storing the parts when not in use, is obtained.

In the player-pianos heretofore employed,

it has been common to arrange the rolls for the music-sheet and the tracker-board below the key-board of the piano and, in some rangethe rolls and tracker in the upper part.

cases, to so mount them that they can be moved'l'rom that position up in front of the keyboard. Both of these arrangements are objectionable principally because the operator has to sit at a greater distance from the keyboard than is convenient and has to look downwardly at a considerable angle to the music-roll.

In accordance with our invention, we arof the piano above the keyboard so that no space in front of or below the keyboard is taken up by these parts and the operator can sit as close to the keyboard as is convenient -with0ut danger of injuring parts mounted under it when playing the piano either mechanically or manually. Also, when the parts are thus arranged, the music sheet is in the position where the operator can most conveniently watch its operation and the errpression marks thereon, since the sheet is substantially on a level with the eyes of the o erator instead of being considerably below t em.

In practically all upright pianos, the frontboard of the casing above the keyboard has a panel therein and back of this panel is considerable space not used for the parts of the piano-action. In the preferred embodiment of our invention, we make that panel removable and utilize the space behind it for the two rolls for the music-sheet and the tracker-board. If the space available is of insufficient depth to permit of mounting the rolls and tracker in operative relation behind the removable panel, as isusually the case, one or both of the rolls and the tracker may be arranged for movement from an operative position in which they extend beyond the plane of the front-board of the piano to an inoperative position in which they occupy but little space immediately behind the removable panel of the front.

board and in front of the piano-action.

The referred embodiment of our invention is i lustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a transverse section of a playerpiano, Fig. 2 is an elevation of the upper portion thereof, and Figs. 3 and 4' are detail views in elevation and section, res ectively, showing the supports for the tracker-board and rolls.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows an upright piano of ordinary construction, having a key-board 1, a front-board 2, footboard 3, a piano-frame 4 and strings 5 extending across the frame. The keys 1 are arranged to actuate suitable piano-actions 6 to cause the hammers 7 to strike the strings,

all as usual in upright pianos. The mechanism for operating the iano mechanically is of any usual or suitab e type; in the drawings, a pneumatic operating mechanism is illustrated diagrammatically, consisting of main bellows 8 and key-actuating bellows 9, the latter of which are each adapted to raise the inner end of one of the keys 1 by means of a rod 10 to cause the corresponding hammer 7 to strike its string. Each key-actuating bellows operates when the air therein is permitted to escape by an opening in the music-sheet coming over theend of the openingthrough. the tracker connected to that bellows in the usual manner.

The front-board 2 of the piano case has a panel 11 therein, as is common in the con- .struction of upright pianos, but this panel is so made as to be readily removable, as by folding, sliding,.turnin on hinges or otherwise, it being held in the closed position in any suitable manner.

Mounted on the rear side .of the front board 2 are supports 12 and, preferably, a back 13 and top and bottom members forming a box or receptacle for certain parts of the mechanical-playing mechanism.

Mounted on the supports 12 in axial alignment are bearings 14 which support and permit rotation of a music-roll 15 consisting of a spool and a music-sheetfor strip 16 wound thereon. 4

Below the music-roll-, two arms 17 are pivotally mounted one on each of the supports 12 so as to rotate about the sameaxis. Extending across between the free ends of these arms and secured thereto is a tracker-board This board has a number of openings 19 therethrough corresponding to the number of keysinthe key-board and communicating with each of these openings is a flexible tube 20 extending down to and communicating with the proper bellows 9 in the usual manner. It will be seen that the tracker-board 18 ismovable about the pivots of the arms 17, the flexibility of the tubes 20 permitting such movement while maintaining the air connections.

Below the'tracker,'a rod 21 extends across between the supports 12 and is secured at its l on a shaft 28.

ends thereto. Mounted for rotation on-this -rodare two arms 22, the free ends of which .carry bearings 23 adaptedto receive the ends of a reel or receiving-roll 24. Formed integral with one of these hearings is a gear 25 which meshes with a gear 26 loose on shaft 21 and this gear meshes with a pinion 27 secured Thisshaft is mounted for rotation in bearings in supports 12 and extends may be employed for this purpose.

throu h one of those su ports, means being rovi edcoactin witht 18 extended portion or driving the s aft. Any suitable devices These 1 devices being of the construction usual in casing to an inoperative position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,. or be'drawn out to an operative position, as shown-in Figs'l and 2.

When in the-Fig. 4 fposition,.the operator may readily grasp the tracker-board, the receiving-roll or one of the arms-17 and 22 and draw it forward and by means of the links 29 all the parts move to the Fig.1 position. In this position the tracker and receiving-roll extend beyond the plane of the front-board 2 A through the opening provided by the removal of panel 11. This movement of the parts -does not aiiect'the operating connections thereto, as the pipes leadingto the tracker are flexible and one of the gears for driving cludin the tracker is then directly in front of theoperator and he may therefore watch it with greatest convenience; also, no space directly in front of and over the keyboard is occupied and the operator may sit close thereto,

When it is desired to operate the piano manually, the parts are readily moved back as shown in Fig. 1 and-the removable panel 11 inserted. It will be seenthat the rolls and tracker are so mounted that when in the in operative position they lie. close to and occupy little space behind the panel 11 and do not interfere in anyway with. the pianofLClllOIla Having now described our invention, what we claim as new therein and desire to secure byLe tters Patent is as follows 1..The combination with an u right piano having a keyboard and a front oard above the same, of mechanical operating devlces therefor including two rolls for the musicsheet and a tracker mounted above the keyboard and behind the plane of said frontboard, said tracker being pivotally mounted and adapted to be turned on its pivots to an operative position in which it extends beyond said plane,- substantially as described.

2. The combination with an 11- right piano having a keyboard and. a front oard above the same provided with a removable anel, of mechanical o crating devices there or intwo 'ro ls for the music-sheet and a trac er mounted behind said removable I'Io e combination with an u right piano I having a keyboard and a frontoard above the same, of mechanical operating devices therefor including a roll forthe music-sheet and a tracker mounted for movement from a position behindthe plane of said front-board to an operative position in which they extend beyon said plane, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with anu right piano having'a keyboard and a frontoardv above the same provided with a removable anel,

of mechanical operating,devices there orineluding a roll for a music-sheet and a tracker mounted behind'said removable panel and adapted formovemnt tooperative position throu h the opening formed by the removal of sai anel, substantially as set forth.

5, T e combination with a piano, of mechanical operating devices therefor including supports for a music-roll and a tracker pivotally mounted one independently of the other and adapted to be moved on their pivots from an inoperative to an operative position, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a piano, of mechanicaloperating devices therefor including supports for a music-roll and a tracker pivotally mounted one independently of the other and interconnected so as to move simultaneously from an ino erative to an operative position, substantial y as set forth.

7. The combination with a i'ano having an opening in the casing thereo ','of mechan ical-operating devices therefor including a tracker and a roll for a music-sheet mounted within said casing and movable to operative position through said opening, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a piano having anopening in the casing thereof, of mechanical operating devices therefor including a tracker and a roll for a music-sheet mounted within said casing and movable to 0 erative position through said opemng, an means rward poof mechanical o crating devices therefor ineluding two ro ls for a music-sheet and a tracker mounted'in the u er part of the piano behind said removable panel, one of saidrolls and said tracker being movable to operative position through the opening formed by the removal of said panel, and means for driving one of said rolls, substantial-1y as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 14th day of November, 1906.

JOHN W." STEVENSON. SAMUEL L. DICKINSON. Witness to signature of John W. Stevenson DANIEL GRAINGE, GEO. M. CLARK. Witness to signature of Samuel'L. Dickinson D. S. EDMoNDs, I. MCINTOSH. 

